Primary Results: New Jersey, Alabama House Races

Updated 11:18 p.m. | Former Randolph Mayor Tom MacArthur won the GOP nomination to succeed retiring GOP Rep. Jon Runyan in New Jersey, relieving Republicans of a candidate who could have lost the seat for them this fall.

MacArthur defeated that candidate, ex-Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, carrying 60 percent of the vote when The Associated Press called the race. Lonegan had 40 percent, with 41 percent precincts reporting.

MacArthur will face Burlington County Freeholder Aimee Belgard in November. She ran in largely uncontested Democratic primary. The race is rated a Tossup by the Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.

MacArthur has the capacity to fund much of his own bid this fall; he loaned his campaign at least $2 million for the primary. But Democrats have already reserved $1.3 million in the New York City and Philadelphia media markets earmarked for this race.

New Jersey’s 12th District

Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman won the Democratic nomination, most likely giving the Garden State its first female member of Congress in 10 years.

She faced a close contest against state Sen. Linda Greenstein in a crowded field. Coleman had 50 percent of the vote, while Greenstein carried 25 percent of the vote, when the AP called the race with 83 percent of precincts of reporting.

This is a race to replace Democratic Rep. Rush D. Holt, who is retiring. Democrats are all-but-certain to hold this seat in the fall, and Coleman’s victory would make her the first female Democrat in Congress from New Jersey in 35 years.

The race is rated Safe Democratic by the Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.

Alabama’s 6th District

The Republican primary to replace retiring GOP Rep. Spencer Bachus will head to a runoff, after no candidate surpassed Tuesday the 50 percent threshold to win the nomination outright.

State Rep. Paul DeMarco took the first-place spot in the 6th District Republican primary with 33 percent, with 96 percent of precincts reporting, according to the AP.

Social conservative activist Gary Palmer took the second-place spot with 20 percent, with 96 percent of precincts reporting, according to the AP.

DeMarco and Palmer will now face off in the July 15 GOP primary runoff, which is likely to determine the next member of Congress from this heavily Republican district based in the conservative Birmingham suburbs.

Alabama’s 6th District is rated a Safe Republican contest by Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.

More from At the Races

there is going to be a real change in november hopefully but it is only another set of crooks that will say anything to get in office and then forget about the people that elected them I guess no unemployment for us only 12 days in session and nothing , on the table about unemployment.

wanda jefferson

there is going to be a real change in november hopefully but it is only another set of crooks that will say anything to get in office and then forget about the people that elected them I guess no unemployment for us only 12 days in session and nothing , on the table about unemployment.

falcngnzx2

Livingston and Cahn (are they at least in college???) show their condescending, leftist, bias by saying this:

“relieving Republicans of a candidate who could have lost the seat for them this fall.”

IN REFERENCE to Steve Lonegan, who would have been able to TRY and save my HOPELESS, leftist, home state of The People’s Republic of New Jersey.

Keep it up, newsbabes. With leftist bias like that, you are bound to get job offers from the “lame stream media”…

Gele Eerie

Run-of-the-mill collectivists routinely attempt to confuse roads and fire departments with collectivism by referring to them as “socialism”.